Prevalência de fatores de risco e proteção de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis em adolescentes: resultados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE), Brasil, 2009 Prevalence of risk health behavior among adolescents: results from the 2009 National Adolescent School-based Health Survey (PeNSE)

Adolescence is typically a developmental phase characterized by change and experimenta- tion and therefore varying exposure to health hazards. We aimed at estimating the prevalence of protective and risk health behaviors of adolescents interviewed in the 2009 National Adolescent School-based Health Survey (PeNSE). PeNSE, a partnership between the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) and the Ministry of Health, using a PDA-based self-administered questionnaire collected information on 60,973 stu- dents enrolled at 1,453 public and private schools in the 27 state capitals and the Federal District. Results: among the food items most often consumed (>=5 days per week), were beans (62.6%) and fruit (31.5%), but also sweets (58.3%) and soft drinks (37%), 43.1% of the students were suffi- ciently physically active but 79.5% spent >2 hours per day in front of the TV. As for drug use, 6.3% reported being current tobacco smokers, 27% drank alcoholic beverages regularly and 8.7% had used illicit drugs at least once. These results should guide stakeholders and policy makers in the devel- opment and implementation of programs and rec- ommendations aimed at curtailing unhealthy ex- posures of adolescents in Brazil.